Thu, Sep 21, 2006
Socialtext 2.0 Released
#
Congratulations to RossMayfield, PeterKaminski, AdinaLevin, and all
the excellent folks at SocialText for the
release of SocialText 2.0. Even
bigger props for slipping in "Purple
Consulting" in the
screencast. I've been cranking so hard over the past six months, I
didn't have a chance to congratulate them on their OpenSource
release last July, so now I get to
combine my commentary here. (In fact, I'm sitting on a bunch of
Wiki-related posts right now that I need to push out; a lot of really
cool stuff has been happening.) That's good, because I have plenty to
say. (L72)
SocialText 2.0 is an important release for three reasons. First, it
doesn't just look good, it's highly usable. Adina and Pete deserve
big-time credit for this. They've spent months painstakingly
experimenting and testing the design. More importantly, they haven't
just focused on making it easy to use, but they've also agonized over
how to accomodate expert usage as well. (L73)
Have they succeeded? I think the personal home base concept is great.
I love the fact that BackLinks are visible on the page and get lots of
love. I love their new RecentChanges interface (and I hope to see a
TagCloud? view
of the all pages index in the next release). I hate the fact that a
RecentChanges link is not on every Wiki page. Both Pete and Adina are
well aware of this beef, and I'm also well aware of their reason for
not including it. Testing and user observation will tell what's
better. (L74)
Second, SocialText 2.0 has a really cool REST interface. ChrisDent
has been
boasting about it for months, but
I didn't look at it myself until KirstenJones walked me through it
last week. (Her WikiWednesday presentation from earlier this month is
online.) It really is cool, and it's also useful. Congrats to
Chris, Kirsten, MatthewOConnor, and MattLiggett for their excellent
work! (L75)
What's great about this API is that it could very well serve as a
standard URI scheme for all Wikis. This would obviate the need for a
separate SOAP or Atom API. You just have a regular Web app, and you
get the API behavior for free. (L76)
For example, AlexSchroeder's currently
going
through the same process that Chris
went
through a year ago with Atom and OddMuse. An easier way around this
problem would be to implement these REST APIs. (L77)
(This is also a great opportunity for me to mention WikiOhana again,
which gained great traction at WikiSym last month and which now has a
lively Wiki of its own. PBWiki recently announced its own
Wiki API, which is a good thing. We are all
part of the same Wiki family. SocialText and PBWiki need to talk
about how their two efforts can work together. That's the WikiOhana
Way.) (L78)
The third important thing about SocialText 2.0 is that it's
OpenSource. (Big props to JonasLuster and AndyLester for finally
making this happen.) Here's the thing. I think the announcement a
few months back was overblown by a lot of blogosphere hype. The
reality of all corporate OpenSource releases is that -- in and of
themselves -- they're mostly meaningless. Mostly, but not completely.
The fact that SocialText 2.0 is OpenSource means that other Wiki
implementations can benefit from the great work that the SocialText
developers have done, from the APIs to the user interface. That makes
for a healthier ecosystem, which is good for everybody. (L79)
That said, the reason the actual open sourcing of SocialText 2.0 (and
any proprietary software project) is mostly meaningless is that the
license is a critical, but tiny part of what makes OpenSource software
interesting and important. The big part is the community and
collaborative process, and a lot of other things besides an open
license are required to make that successful. (L7A)
Before SocialText went OpenSource, I spent many hours talking to a
bunch of people there about the impending release. I wanted to know
how committed they were to making this a truly open and collaborative
software project, because I felt the potential impact on the Wiki
community was enormous. The answer I got was complex. The fact that
everyone was willing to talk to me with no strings attached, in and of
itself, demonstrated a commitment to openness, and I'm still grateful
for that. The code itself will be a short-term bottleneck, as it
needs a lot of work before outside developers will find it compelling.
I also think the licensing terms are weaker than they need to be,
although I also understand the outside pressures that make it so. (L7B)
In short, I think the spirit is strong within SocialText to fully
realize the potential of this OpenSource project, but there are also
roadblocks. Hopefully, external pressures won't squash that spirit.
If SocialText ever fulfills its potential as an OpenSource company, it
will not only help the ecosystem, but it will also tremendously
benefit SocialText as a business. (L7C)
/tech/wiki |
Posted at 2:21pm
Comments
Comments disabled until future notice. If you'd like to contact me, use my i-name (=eekim).